"We went down for seven and took nine home from Lola's Lucky Day Rescue," Vasseau said. "Our relationship with Lola has just grown from there. But after that, other shelters and local dog owners started to contact us. Any dog in need of resources, we're here to help."

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Lucky 7 Dog Rescue plans to open in the former Fritz and Sparrow space at 237 N. Broadway the weekend of June 23-25.(Photo: Jeff Bollier/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Lucky 7, an all-volunteer foster shelter and adoption center, has helped find a foster home or permanent home for more than 500 dogs since Vasseau organized that first trip to Texas. On Friday, the nonprofit will celebrate another milestone when it opens a brick-and-mortar location at 237 N. Broadway, formerly home to Fritz & Sparrow.

A grand opening celebration begins at 7 p.m. Friday and will feature live music, raffles, food and drinks, and a ribbon-cutting. Tickets are $15. The fun continues with an open house from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday that is free and open to the public.

Vasseau said Lucky 7's storefront will give people in the downtown area a place to hang out with dogs, read to them, or just enjoy a cup of coffee with some canine cronies, much like its kitty counterpart, Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary. It will give the organization space for training classes, events, outreach activities, storing supplies and more.

"I'm excited to be a fully volunteer-run organization that will be open to the community," Vasseau said. "Having a space on Broadway offers other ways for people to get involved and interact with animals. We can always find something for someone to do."

Lucky 7's focus is on finding foster and permanent homes for as many pups as it can. It doesn't focus on a particular breed or type of dog. Vasseau said volunteers and foster dog parents have been able to help a lot of dogs with special needs over the last three years.

"We have an amazing group of volunteers that are pretty exciting to work with," she said. "We don't often have dogs returned. In fact, our foster volunteers help give us a good idea of how they'll do in a home with kids or on a leash."

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Green Bay Press-Gazette business reporter Jeff Bollier, aka Streetwise, wants to hear from you with news on new businesses, openings, closings, expansions and improvements. You can contact him at jbollier@gannett.com. March 14, 2018.
Jeff Bollier/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin